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RESULTS
OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETY OF KALAMAZOO'S GREAT BACKYARD
BIRD COUNT
Matt Clysdale, the film-maker
who brought you the urban wildlife documentary,
ANIMALS AMONG US, is at it again. This time he’s
documenting a nesting pair of Osprey on the Kalamazoo
River who’ve become a popular local attraction as well
as symbols for the returning health of the river.
Their nest in the abandoned lot of a former paper mill
on Kings Highway, right next to a Superfund stretch of
the Kalamazoo River, and directly across from a PCB
landfill, is a poignant commentary on the relationship
of fish eating raptors and the contaminated Kalamazoo
River. Clysdale began taping last
year when the birds hatched and fledged three healthy
chicks. Titled WHEN HOPE HATCHES, the project is well
under way and in need of funding. That’s why Clysdale
is turning to a rising new internet phenomena called
Kickstarter. “I’m particularly excited
about Kickstarter because it makes the documentary
more of a community effort, with more interest and
anticipation surrounding the project,” says Clysdale.
The website Kickstarter gives artists and
entrepreneurs an online fundraising platform to
complete original, creative projects. At Kickstarter
he’ll have his own webpage with a sneak preview video,
information on the project, pledge categories, and
particularly important to contributors: interesting
pledge rewards. The fundraiser, and corresponding
webpage, launches Feb. 10th and runs through March
1st. Clysdale and his team will
host a “HOPE HATCHES” pledge party open to the public
at the Kalamazoo Nature Center on Sunday, February
26th, from 2-4pm. They'll familiarize guests with the
project, explain Kickstarter, and have a computer
available for online pledges. People can also go to
www.mattclysdale.com for more information.
ASK has been slowly but surely moving into the electronic communications world. But don’t worry, we won’t do away with the hard copy of the newsletter. So where have we been and where are we going? Our first attempt at a web page was about 15 years ago, but it was not until seven years ago that we got our own URL (www.kalamazooaudubon.org). The next step was to modernize our Rare Bird Alert system of four or five captains who called five to seven people each whenever a rare bird had been seen in the greater Kalamazoo area. Now we have one person, with a 2nd person as backup, who sends out one e-mail to about 60 members. What a time savings! Then we wondered if people might like to receive reminders of field trips by e-mail. We put an article in the newsletter about it and announced it at meetings and we now send reminders to just under 60 members. Next one of our members came up with the idea of the ASKBirds Google Discussion Group (http://groups.google.com/group/ASKbirds?hl=en), again only for ASK members. Recently we registered our 25th ASKBirds discussion group member! And now Facebook – see accompanying article below.
ASK ON FACEBOOK
ASK is jumping into the 21st century and exploring social networking to find new ways to reach out to our members, supporters, and the general public. We now have a Facebook page that we invite you to visit to keep up to date with Audubon happenings. The ASK Facebook page is accessible to the general public (unlike our ASKBirds discussion group that is for members only). We’ll be posting things like notices of upcoming programs and field trips, sightings, and other interesting bird news. We invite you to post bird-related thoughts and questions too! If you’re a Facebook member, simply search for “Audubon Society of Kalamazoo” in the search bar at the top of your Facebook page. Or you can also go to www.kalamazooaudubon.org and click on the link at the left side of that page. When you’ve navigated to our Facebook page, click the “like” button at the top of the page. Once you’ve “liked” us, our posts will show up on your wall. If you’re not a Facebook member but would still like to see our postings, you can do so by clicking the Facebook link from our website at www.kalamazooaudubon.org. See you online! MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL ASK has its yearly membership renewal drive in
August, just before our new season of activities
starts in September. Since one bulk mailing is so much
cheaper than mailing individual first class notices
each month, all members except those who joined April
to July 2009 will need to renew this fall. This means
that some of you will not have been members for a full
year before renewing, but our bulk mailing rates allow
us to keep our membership fees of $10 for adults and
$5 for students so reasonable. And it's only the first
year that you may get short-changed a few months.
On December 22, 2009, the Land Conservancy of West Michigan (LCWM) closed on the 171-acre south portion of the McClendon property (formerly known as the Denison property) adjacent to Saugatuck’s Oval Beach City Park. This is a major milestone in the decades-long effort to protect this critical stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline. The
next steps will be to raise funds from the
public to pay back bridge loans and create an
endowment for the care of the property. The
total cost of the project will reach
approximately $22.1 million when associated
transactional and management costs are included,
with approximately $4.5 million that still needs
to be raised from the public. The
City of Saugatuck will lease the property, now
known as the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area,
from LCWM for $1 per year while the property
is transferred to the City over a three-year
period as the remaining funding to support the
purchase is raised. With
the completion of the closing, the property is
now open to the public for non-motorized
recreation such as hiking, bird watching,
fishing, nature study, and photography.
Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area is part of the
world’s largest freshwater dune system,
providing habitat for rare and declining
species. This stretch of Lake Michigan beach and
dunes serves as a prime example of Michigan’s
characteristic Great Lakes shoreline. Since
the
Lake
Michigan shoreline is such an important area for
both breeding and migrant birds, the ASK board
decided to support the purchase with a $1,000
donation toward that $4.5 million still needed. We
plan to have a field trip in September so you can
see for yourselves this gem of Southwest Michigan’s
natural heritage. See their website at http://www.naturenearby.org
for more information.
WHY BUY A DUCK STAMP? Since
1934,
sales of Migratory Bird Hunting and Conser-vation
Stamps have contributed over $700 million and
protected 5.3 million acres of habitat in our national
refuge system. Each refuge is managed as a protected
haven for birds and other wildlife. The Stamps cost
only $15 and it’s easy for everyone to purchase –
nearly all Post Offices carry them. Even better, it is
extremely cost-effective: fully 98¢ out of every
dollar ($14.70) goes directly to acquire land for
the refuge system. This $15-purchase is perhaps the
single simplest thing one can do to support a legacy
of wetland and grassland conservation for birds. The
funds not only go to refuges, but since 1958, the US
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has used a portion of
the Stamp revenues to purchase wetland and grassland
habitats within the Prairie Pothole Region of the
upper Midwest and northern Great Plains through their
Small Wetlands Acquisition Program. The FWS also began
purchasing permanent grassland easements to conserve
existing habitat for prairie nesting birds. Scores of
other bird species (numerous kinds of shorebirds,
long-legged waders, and wetland and grassland
songbirds) are dependent on habitat derived from Stamp
purchases. Reptiles, amphib-ians, fish, and
butterflies, all flourish through Stamp investments.
Water quality is also strengthened. A Stamp is a “free
pass” for an entire year for a vehicle full of people
at all refuges that charge for admission. Refuges
and
percentage paid for by Stamp purchases: Bosque del
Apache in New Mexico–99.2%; Horicon in
Wisconsin–98.7%; Muskatatuk in Indiana–98.9%; Bom-bay
Hook in Delaware–95.1%; Santa Ana in Texas–94.9%;
Ottawa in Ohio–86.4%; and 99.8% of all Water-fowl
Production Areas in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota,
South Dakota, and Montana.
PARTICIPATE
IN PROJECT FEEDERWATCH
The
2009-10
season of Project FeederWatch began November 14, but
you can sign up at any time. FeederWatchers keep
track of their birds through the winter and report
their tallies bi-weekly, either electronically, via
the secure website, or through the mail, using paper forms. More
participants are still needed. Watching
birds
benefits
science,
but
it
can
also
be a healthy part of your routine. Hundreds of studies
have verified that time spent watching nature can
reduce stress. So why not slow down and watch the
birds? Or if you end up
getting bored during the winter when you’re inside so
much, keep yourself entertained by watching and
counting the birds for science. This would also be a
great project to do with your kids. New
this
year is an optional supplemental study to count
males and females separately for some species that
visit feeders – something that regular FeederWatch
counting does not do. Visit
the
Project FeederWatch website to learn more and to
sign up at www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw. You can also view a live
FeederCam. New participants receive a kit with a
handbook, bird identification poster, calendar,
tally sheet, and instruction booklet. There is a
$15 fee ($12 for Lab members). EVERYDAY PRODUCTS CARRY A HIDDEN GLOBAL COST A water footprint is the total volume of fresh
water used to produce a certain good. Many
people live in dry regions that cannot support the
production of goods requiring a lot of water, so they
effectively consume water in the form of imported
goods. The water footprint of a cup of coffee is 140 L
(L = liter, 1 liter = 1.06 quarts), an apple is 70 L,
a cotton shirt is 2,700 L, one kg of beef is 15,500 L,
etc. The amount of fresh water that a person
needs daily for drinking, cooking, and cleaning is
between 20 and 50 L, according to the United
Nations. More than one in six people worldwide,
or 1.1 billion, do not have access to even that amount
of fresh water. Check out the website
www.waterfootprint.org for more information. DNR LICENSED BIRD REHABILITATORS Below is a listing of licensed rehabilitators in the Kalamazoo area. If you have an injured animal, check to see what the rehabber will care for and call them directly. If you live outside the area and have web access you can go to the Michigan DNR website which lists all rehabilitators in the state, www.michigandnr.com/dlr/. Kalamazoo: Karen Amsbury, (269) 345-8569, Northwest Kalamazoo County, birds (any kind) and mammals Vicksburg: Sharron Butler, (269) 649-2028, South Kala-mazoo County, raptors, mammals, and turtles Hickory Corners: Linda Bianco-Born, (269) 671-5690, birds (specializes in raptors), mammals Vicksburg: Pamela DeCuypere, (269) 778-3774, mammals (specializes in raccoons, deer, and rabbits) and gamebirds Kalamazoo: Sara Harrison (269) 372-9080, mammals and reptiles Kalamazoo: Mary Hilton, (269) 375-4875, small mammals and gamebirds Kalamazoo: Lori King, (269) 383-5934, mammals Kalamazoo: Judith Kleis (269) 552-2305, mammals Vicksburg: Tamie Stewart, (269)
649-3555, mammals DID YOUR SHOPPING LIST KILL A SONGBIRD? Though a consumer may not be able to tell the
difference, a tomato from Florida is often not the
same as one grown in Mexico. The imported fruits and
vegetables found in our shopping carts in winter and
early spring are grown with types and amounts of
pesticides that would often be illegal in the US. Distilled from an article published in The New
York Times, March 30, 2008. SHOP SMART, SAVE BIRDS Canada's boreal forest is one of the largest unspoiled forests left on earth. It provides breeding grounds for up to three billion birds each spring, and nearly half of all the bird species in North America depend on the boreal for survival. Boreal bird habitat is being destroyed to make toilet paper, facial tissues, paper towels, and other disposable paper products. You can help halt this destruction by making smart shopping decisions. This green guide provides a list of tissue paper products to buy - and a few to avoid. Visit www.nrdc.org/paper for a full product list and to send a message to paper giant Kimberly-Clark, maker of Scott, Cottonelle, Kleenex, and Viva, telling the company to stop destroying boreal bird habitat. Three things you can do to help save our forests
and birds: Here is a list of products that meet NRDC's
environmental criteria: Products to avoid: Reprinted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. NRDC does not endorse any products. Follow-up - Products available locally include the
following: Not all products are available at all locations.
This is not an all-inclusive list but only a sampling.
CATS INDOORS: GOOD FOR BIRDS, GOOD FOR CATS ASK invites you to join us in our effort to
keep both cats and wild birds safe. Over the next few
months, we'll be distributing brochures to area pet
stores, veterinarians, and shelters that encourage
people to keep their cats indoors. We could use your
help! We'll have "Cats Indoors!" brochures
available at our meetings for you to pick up and take
to your vet or pet store.
As far as coffee refreshments go at ASK meetings, an apt description could be wrapped in a single word, “decaf,” and our wise and responsible Hospitality Committee reliably has good decaf coffee available. Now that coffee has gotten even better. For the past 10 years we have tried to offer a good shade-grown, fair-traded, and organic coffee, decaf of course. While there are a great number of companies offering coffee that they claim to be shade-grown and good for birds, there are a much smaller number of firms that actually meet the strictest criteria for shade-grown coffee. Please note that if you happen to be new to the “shade-grown coffee issue,” there are background articles available at our meetings; see me at the information table. The
organization
that offers the gold standard for shade-grown
coffee certification is the Smithsonian Migratory
Bird Center. Their trademarked “Bird Friendly”
coffee essentially requires the growers to have
their farms almost mimic native forest. A few of
the requirements the growers must meet are to have
at least 10 species of trees of many different
heights, to have at least 40% shade cover, to have
more than a 10-meter buffer along waterways, to
meet USDA Organic standards, and naturally it must
be a fair-trade coffee where workers have a good
working environment and are paid a fair wage. So
you can rest assured that any coffee that has the
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s “Bird
Friendly” label is truly the best for birds,
people, and the environment.
For years I have looked, without success, for a company that offered a decaf coffee that met the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s criteria. But just recently Kara Haas, Environmental Education Director at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, mentioned that Birds & Beans has a decaf with the Smithsonian’s “Bird Friendly” designation, AND, on top of that, she said they sell it at the sanctuary. They are doing the right thing. Consequently, as of the January meeting, ASK is serving the very best, very bird-friendliest coffee. Do come and try it out! I
certainly encourage all of you who want to do
something for birds to purchase coffee with the
Smithsonian’s “Bird Friendly” label. More information
is available on the internet. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
website address is http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/Migratory
Birds/. The website address for Birds &
Beans is http://www.birdsandbeans.com/index.html. COFFEE BUYING GUIDE This information is from Tom Dietsch. Tom was one of the graduate students whose research in Central American coffee plantations was supported by ASK several years ago. He is still very much involved in the shade coffee issue. I saw him recently and he explained that the issue of good organic shade-grown coffee is still very relevant but admittedly complicated. The following guidelines that he has drawn up may help you when you are deciding which is the right shade-grown coffee to buy. I strongly encourage you to be careful in your choice of "shade-grown" coffee. The imposters will be helping themselves with, I believe, little interest in what organic shade-grown coffee can do for birds and people. By imposters I am referring to the coffee that has no or very soft criteria. It is complicated, but if you want the best, look only for the logos on Tom's lists. COFFEE BUYING GUIDE o If possible, buy triple certified coffee. COFFEE LINKS Shade-grown Coffee Fair-trade Coffee Cause-related Coffee Prepared by: Tom Dietsch, UCLA Center for
Tropical Research (and formerly of the Smithsonian
Migratory Bird Center) |